Members of the Iranian-backed terror group Hezbollah fired missiles and drones into Israel on Friday causing fears of a wider war to skyrocket.
Israel returned fire, striking a Hezbollah observation post, according to the IDF. In addition, Israel also said its forces killed “a number of terrorists” who tried to enter the country from Lebanon overnight.
The Israel Defence Forces did not say which group the infiltrators were linked to or what time the raid occurred but released the information Sunday morning local time.
The northern border with Lebanon – controlled by Hezbollah – remains a flashpoint in a volatile region. Israel fought a brutal war with Hezbollah in 2006 and the two sides continue to sporadically fire at each other across the border.
IDF spokesperson Jonathan Conricus said of the situation last night: “Hezbollah fighters fired an anti-tank missile towards Israeli troops. There was a short battle and the situation eventually calmed down. Afterwards, Hezbollah sent drones into Israel and also fired surface-to-air missiles against an Israeli aircraft.”
He added that the situation at the border remained “very tense” and that the IDF was monitoring the situation and Hezbollah very closely and that Israel’s forces were prepared for “any eventuality”.
On Friday the IDF confirmed it was carrying out drone strikes on Hezbollah targets in response to a small arms battle with the terrorist group. A Reuters journalist was killed on the Lebanese side of the border by a missile fired from the Israeli direction, the outlet confirmed.
Israel’s UN envoy, Gilad Erdan, said: “Obviously, we would never want to hit or kill or shoot any journalist that is doing its job. But you know, we’re in a state of war, things might happen.”
He said the country would investigate the incident.
Tensions have skyrocketed on Israel’s northern border since Hamas launched a massive terrorist attack against Israel from the Gaza Strip killing at least 1,300 Israelis.
Hezbollah said on Friday it was “fully prepared” to join Hamas in its war against Israel when the time was right. Both groups are supported by Iran, however, Hezbollah has much closer ties.
If Hezbollah enters the war it would likely mean Tehran had given its approval to do so, sparking fears that the conflict could spiral regionally.
Since the October 7 attack by Hamas, Israel has responded by launching thousands of air strikes on Gaza while massing troops in preparation for an anticipated ground offensive.
Palestinian authorities have confirmed at least 1,900 people have died in Gaza, many of them women and children. Hamas’ terrorist attack killed at least 1,300 Israelis while the IDF claims 1,500 Hamas terrorists were killed. The IDF has confirmed Hamas is holding at least 120 hostages in Gaza.
